Frequently Asked Questions

First make sure that you have downloaded the right plugin for your version of Max. Then put the plugin in the 'Plugins' folder, which is in your '3dsmax' folder. Now start Max and the new plugin is installed.

To use the shaders in Max, you need two files: a DLL file (*.dll) and an Include file (*.mi). Put the DLL file in the 'mentalray\shaders_autoload\shaders' folder, and put the Include file in your 'mentalray\shaders_autoload\include' folder. The next time you start Max, they should be in the list of installed shaders.

If you are using Max 2011 or higher, the folder structure has changed. The DLL file needs to go in your 'mentalimages\shaders_autoload\mentalray\shaders' folder, and the Include file goes in your 'mentalimages\shaders_autoload\mentalray\include' folder.

Max 6 plugins always work in Max 6 and usually work in Max 7 and Max 8.

Max 7 plugins always work in Max 7, sometimes work in Max 6 and usually work in Max 8.

Max 8 plugins always work in Max 8 and sometimes work in Max 6 and Max 7.

Max 9 plugins always work in Max 9 and usually work in Max 2008. If there are both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the plugin, the 32-bit plugin will only work with 32-bit Max 9 (and Max 2008), and the 64-bit plugin will only work with 64-bit Max 9 (and Max 2008).

Max 2008 plugins always work in Max 2008 and often work in Max 9. If there are both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the plugin, the 32-bit plugin will only work with 32-bit Max 2008 (and Max 9), and the 64-bit plugin will only work with 64-bit Max 2008 (and Max 9).

Max 2009 plugins only work in Max 2009. If there are both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the plugin, the 32-bit plugin will only work with 32-bit Max 2009, and the 64-bit plugin will only work with 64-bit Max 2009.

Max 2010 plugins always work in Max 2010 and should work in Max 2011. If there are both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the plugin, the 32-bit plugin will only work with 32-bit Max 2010 (and Max 2011), and the 64-bit plugin will only work with 64-bit Max 2010 (and Max 2011).

Max 2011 plugins always work in Max 2011 and may work in Max 2010. If there are both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the plugin, the 32-bit plugin will only work with 32-bit Max 2011 (and maybe Max 2010), and the 64-bit plugin will only work with 64-bit Max 2011 (and maybe Max 2010).

Max 2012 plugins only work in Max 2012. If there are both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the plugin, the 32-bit plugin will only work with 32-bit Max 2012, and the 64-bit plugin will only work with 64-bit Max 2012.

Max 2013 plugins always work in Max 2013 and should work in Max 2014. If there are both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the plugin, the 32-bit plugin will only work with 32-bit Max 2013, and the 64-bit plugin will only work with 64-bit Max 2013 (and Max 2014).

Max 2014 plugins always work in Max 2014 and may work in 64-bit Max 2013. There are only 64-bit plugins available for Max 2014.

Max 2015 plugins only work in Max 2015. There are only 64-bit plugins available for Max 2015.

Max 2016 plugins always work in Max 2016 and may work in Max 2015. There are only 64-bit plugins available for Max 2016.

Max 2017 plugins only work in Max 2017. There are only 64-bit plugins available for Max 2017.

Max 2018 plugins only work in Max 2018. There are only 64-bit plugins available for Max 2018.

Max 2019 plugins only work in Max 2019. There are only 64-bit plugins available for Max 2019.

Max 2020 plugins only work in Max 2020. There are only 64-bit plugins available for Max 2020.

Most of the BlurBeta plugins need a plugin called 'BlurLib.dlu' to be loaded first for them to initialize properly. Just put the BlurLib for your Max version in the 'StdPlugs' folder, and the other BlurBeta plugin in your 'Plugins' folder.

The first thing you need is the Max SDK (Software Development Kit) which is on the Max CD / DVD or in the Max download. It contains loads of plugin samples, as well as source code for a lot of the plugins built into Max.

If you are writing plugins for Max 9 to Max 2020 you can download the free Express or Community version of Visual Studio from Microsoft. You will also need to install the Windows SDK (formerly known as the Platform SDK), a free software package available from Microsoft that contains header files, libraries, samples, documentation and tools needed to develop plugins for Max.